Buckle

ABSTRACT

A buckle structure comprising a buckle frame of substantially rectangular shape and a plate member hingedly connected thereto and secured to footwear articles, clothing articles and the like. The buckle has an intermediate transverse bar provided with lugs projecting from this bar and folded towards each other for receiving the plate member. The plate member is provided with eyelets defined by a flat border portion which is designed to be received within the folded lugs.

United States Patent Steinberg June 12, 1973 [54] BUCKLE FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS lnvemorl Adalberto Steinberg, Via Mancini r 1,208,154 2/1960 France 24/178 Milan, Italy 917,077 1 H1963 Great Britain 24/188 Filed: p 1970 681,196 1/1965 Italy 24/178 1 PP N05 755637 Primary Examiner-Bernard A. Gelak Attorney-Guido Modiano and Albert Josif [30] Foreign Application Priority Data Sept. 26, 1969 Italy 22570 A/69 [57] ABSTRACT A buckle structure comprising a buckle frame of sub- 221 P581. 24/188, 24/178 R stamiany rectangular Shape and a plate member connected thereto and secured to footwear l 0 care 24/188 articles, clothing articles and the like. The buckle has 24/179 an intermediate transverse bar provided with lugs pro- 56 R f d jecting from this bar and folded towards each other for 1 e erences receiving the plate member. The plate member is pro- UNITED STATES PATENTS vided with eyelets defined by a flat border portion 2,987,790 6/1961 Sussman 24/178 which is designed to be received within the folded lugs. 1,934,511 11/1933 Schafi'er.... 24/178 4 2,215,194 9/1940 Ronci 24/178 1 Clam, 3 Drawmg Flgures PATENIH] JUN] 2 l973 3 737, 957

INVENTOR Adulb rto STEINBERG BY 2 INVENTOR BUCKLE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION close or fit around the said transverse member provide a hinge connection. The buckles of this type, however, have an inherent drawback due to the strong tensile stress given to them when a belt is engaged therewith. Such tensile stress in fact is applied to the hinge connection between the plate and the buckle and tends to open the said eyelets thus causing the plate to be removed from the buckle. In order-to eliminate this drawback the plate must be oversized by employing for manufacturing the same a material having a determined thickness substantially greater than that required for withstanding the said tensible stresses, the hinging eyelets were not provided. It is then apparent that such oversizing of the plate results in a higher cost of the buckle-plate assembly, this increase of cost being remarkable when it is considered that articles of this kind are manufactured in enormous amounts.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION .said buckle-plate assembly can be manufactured by completely automatic working steps in a continuous working cycle, thus achieving a reduction of cost also from this view point.

These and still further objects are attained by a buckle provided with a connection plate of the kind in which the buckle consists of a frame provided with a transverse member to which the said plate is hingedly connected characterized in that in the said buckle body tabs or lugs are formed designed to be folded to define hinge elements, and that the said plate has a substantially flat configuration having portions which are engaged within the said hinges thus obtaining a hinge engagement of the plate with the buckle.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING Further characteristics and advantages will better appear from the following description of a buckle-plate assembly according to the present invention illustrated in a preferred, not exclusive embodiment thereof only by way of indicative not limiting example in the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 shows the buckle and the plate developed and separated from one another in an intermediate working step;

FIG. 2 shows the finished buckle-plate assembly; FIG. 3 finally shows a longitudinal section of FIG. 2 taken along the vertical plane of symmetry.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS With reference to the above Figures, the buckle indicated at l is obtained by conventional methods such as by shearing a metal sheet having a determined thickness. This buckle has a substantially rectangular configuration and a transverse bar member 2 is defined in an intermediate position thereof between two end bars and respective apertures. Such transverse member is shaped in a special manner in that it has on both sides of a narrow central portion 3 to which a tongue (not shown) is connected, pairs of opposite lugs 4, 5 substantially formed while forming the inner opening of the buckle. The lugs are arranged on both sides of the central portion 3. Accordingly, it may be seen that for obtaining these lugs 4, 5 use is made of a part of the material which in the conventional buckles of this kind forms a scrap portion and cannot be used. That end bar which is opposite to the one cooperating with the tongue (not shown) is arranged in a raised position (FIG. 3) with respect to the remaining buckle frame 1 in order to define a belt insertion aperture.

At 6 there is indicated a flat connection plate in which an eyelet 7 is formed for attachment to a clothing article, footwear or the like. At the opposite portion of the eyelet 7 the plate 5 is provided with a recess 7a and a pair of symmetrically arranged openings 8 which are designed to receive the lugs 4, 5. The openings 8 (FIG. 1) are defined by a border portion of the plate member 6, including a transverse portion 9.

The assembling of the elements 1 and 6 occurs by folding'over the lugs 4 and 5 one towards the other in such a manner that they pass through the openings 8 and define passage for receiving the transverse portions 9.

A hinge connection is thus obtained between the two elements (of which the buckle 1 will also undergo other machinings this being out of the scope of this invention). As it is apparent since the buckle is usually manufactured in a thickness far more sufficient to withstand without being deformed, the nonnal tensile stresses given during usage, no deformation will occur in the eyelets defined by the folded lugs 4 and 5. On the other hand since there exists no more reason for oversizing the plate as in the prior art, the same can be manufactured making use of a very thin material and (due to the width thereof) perfectly withstands the tensile stresses.

The structure thus obtained has a double advantage: it lowers the'cost of the plate 6 and reduces the amount of scraps during the manufacturing of the buckle 1. Furthermore the possibility exists of providing a wide range of structures of this kind having different configurations and dimensions and designed for difi'erent applications all of which make use of a single design of plate.

Of course the invention thus conceived is susceptible to numerous modifications and changes all of which are included in the scope of the present invention.

Furthermore all detail can be substituted with technically equivalent ones.

The used materials as well as dimensions could be any according to the requirements.

I claim:

1. A buckle structure comprising a substantially rectangular buckle frame having an intermediate transverse bar and two end bars parallel to said transverse bar, apertures defined between said end bars and said transverse bar for introducing a belt, a tongue hingedly connected to said transverse bar at a central portion thereof and cooperating with one of said end bars for locking one end portion of said belt within said apertures, and a plate member hingedly connected to said transverse bar and having means being secured to the other end portion of said belt, wherein, according to the improvement, said transverse bar has two pairs of opposite lugs projecting sidewards of said bar into said apertures and arranged on both sides of said central portion hingedly receiving said tongue, said lugs being folded towards each other thereby to define passages parallel to said transverse bar, and said plate member has an entirely flat shape provided with openings arranged at a distance from one another which is the same as the distance between the lugs of said pairs and defined by flat border portions of said plate member, said flat border portions including a transverse end portion capable of being received within said passages of said lugs for hingedly connecting said plate member to said buckle frame, and a central recess extending between said openings for receiving a part of said tongue hingedly connected to said transverse bar, said buckle frame further having the end bar opposite to the end bar cooperating with said tongue arranged in a substantially raised position with respect to said transverse bar and to said plate member thereby to define a belt insertion aperture arranged at an angle to the plate of said buckle frame and of said plate member. 

1. A buckle structure comprising a substantially rectangular buckle frame having an intermediate transverse bar and two end bars parallel to said transverse bar, apertures defined between said end bars and said transverse bar for introducing a belt, a tongue hingedly connected to said transverse bar at a central portion thereof and cooperating with one of said end bars for locking one end portion of said belt within said apertures, and a plate member hingedly connected to said transverse bar and hAving means being secured to the other end portion of said belt, wherein, according to the improvement, said transverse bar has two pairs of opposite lugs projecting sidewards of said bar into said apertures and arranged on both sides of said central portion hingedly receiving said tongue, said lugs being folded towards each other thereby to define passages parallel to said transverse bar, and said plate member has an entirely flat shape provided with openings arranged at a distance from one another which is the same as the distance between the lugs of said pairs and defined by flat border portions of said plate member, said flat border portions including a transverse end portion capable of being received within said passages of said lugs for hingedly connecting said plate member to said buckle frame, and a central recess extending between said openings for receiving a part of said tongue hingedly connected to said transverse bar, said buckle frame further having the end bar opposite to the end bar cooperating with said tongue arranged in a substantially raised position with respect to said transverse bar and to said plate member thereby to define a belt insertion aperture arranged at an angle to the plate of said buckle frame and of said plate member. 